Hong Kong Battles Cybercrime

Hong Kong has seen a significant rise in cybercrimes in the last few years, including online fraud, hacking and sexual offenses facilitated by social networks and chat sites. A new report by the Department of Justice warns that cybercrime will only become more challenging for law enforcement agencies as telecommunications networks evolve over the next decade.

Reuters

Cybercrimes include unauthorized computer access or theft, interception of data, cyber-stalking and harassment. Of note, the department says there has been an upsurge in people taking digital photographs and videos up women’s skirts using their smartphones—crimes which can fall under disorderly conduct in public places, loitering or outraging public decency. In December, a local university student was sentenced to two months in prison for repeatedly taking these photos.

The Hong Kong Police Force has also put up a notice about website defacement, phishing emails, commercial and auction fraud, identity theft, and abuse of online gaming services.

With rapid technological changes and more people connected on the Internet, these crimes are likely to become more frequent across the world, according to Mamoun Alazab, a research fellow at the Australian National University who studies cybercrime.

In September, a university student was convicted of accessing a computer with dishonest intent after logging onto a neighbor’s wireless Internet connection to send email hoaxes to the Legislative Council and Mass Transit Railway Corp.

Calling policing of cybercrime a “somewhat vexed and neglected area,” the justice department formed a Cybercrime Section last August and the police set up a Cyber Security Centre in December. But even with partnerships between industry, police, and legal experts, it can be difficult for legislation to keep up with fast-changing technology.

Mr. Alazab says these crimes can be particularly cumbersome to investigate when the perpetrators use cloud or mobile computing and encryption. He says the issues can be further compounded when international boundaries are crossed, as outdated procedural laws in cyber investigations and a lack of international cooperation exacerbate the problems.

“Classic crime is still going around these days, and is successful, because people still don’t know these crimes can be committed,” he says. “If you don’t lock your home, car, or suitcase it’s vulnerable, and if you don’t secure your computer it’s vulnerable.”

He advises using reputable and up-to-date antivirus engines, ensuring firewalls are turned on, and using separate email addresses for online shopping and banking. For those who want to be extra cautious, he suggests requiring second-device verification methods on online banking, which could, for instance, send alerts to account holders’ phones when their accounts are accessed.